blueshirt said:
Go for the roundabout Mark - some land can be taken from Highways House to accommodate it. As you say, there really is no other solution. It can't stay as it is, the tailbacks are terrible.
gk141054 said:
While we're at it.... the main reason for the tailbacks up weston road every day is the traffic lights at the hospital.
I suggest this junction is looked at... not sure what could be done... perhaps it could be widened slightly to make two lanes (heading up towards the Uni) so that people can still left turn on a filter arrow when no one else is turning? Come to think of it, I think the whole world would be a better place it people could turn left on a red light if safe to do so (as the americans can - turning right though obviously).
Maybe also an underpass or foot bridge so that the lights aren't on red as much for pedestrians crossing.
Gawdeplus, aren't there any more imaginative solutions than building more road space? It generally doesn't work. Build more road space (at huge expense), it gets filled up again, and you're back to square one. That's pretty well established....
The main reason for congestion is (controversial I know) - people driving cars, it isn't the existence of traffic lights which end up being installed because of too much traffic....
Both building a big enough roundabout (which would probably end up taking some property near/on the corner of the junction) and/or road widening would be insanely expensive (could easily get into millions). I can't see that the money it would cost could be in any way justified. Not only that come the next government, public spending is going to be slashed left, right and centre.
Weston Road is always going to be difficult because of the hospital and university being major traffic magnets.
Underpasses/footbridges are generally not preferable because pedestrians won't use them because of personal security issues. Most towns are busy putting in crossings to replace underpasses and bridges for that very reason.
Any solution needs to look at investing in getting people out of their cars - i.e. buses or cycling, and it could be achieved for a lot less cost than a roundabout. It doesn't help that Arriva have recently chopped back on the #9 and #1 service and for reasons best known to them decided that the 9 should only serve the hospital in one direction.
A final thought on roundabouts is that they are more dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians.